Taylor Stewart
Taylor Stewart (born April 2, 1993) is a former American supermodel, television personality, and actress, best known for her fourteen year tenure as a Victoria’s Secret Angel in a wheelchair, from 2014 to 2028. She is also best known for her fifteen appearances on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. Stewart is widely known for possessing the "perfect" beach body, with 34 inch hips, a 30 inch waist, and a size D bra. Early life Stewart was born in Madison, Wisconsin, and has two brothers. She has spina bifida, and is paralyzed from the waist down. In 2010, despite being in a wheelchair, she won the Miss America beauty pageant. This attracted attention from several notable fashion magazines, such as Vogue, W, Elle, and Harper’s Bazaar. She was quickly signed to a two-year contract by Versace. Career Modeling Stewart attracted attention for her slim waist, thin legs, and youthful appearance. After appearing on the cover of Elle, showing only her upper body, and Vogue, in flesh-colored braces (to hide her wheelchair), she decided to display her body in just a wheelchair on the covers of W'' and ''Harper’s Bazaar. This started a social media storm, with many praising the magazines for positively portraying disability in women. With her popularity skyrocketing, she represented Versace at the 2012 Paris and Milan Fashion Weeks. Her performance led her to appear on the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue with fellow paraplegic model Grace Davis. This quickly became the most popular page on SI’s magazine, and Stewart was hired as a Victoria’s Secret Angel. As a Victoria’s Secret Angel, she walked the runway at the “Big Four” fashion weeks every year during her tenure. She has also represented Versace, Armani, Chanel, Calvin Klein, Marc Jacobs, Perry Ellis, Herve Leger, Marc Valentino, and many others. She also appeared in another fourteen SI Swimsuit Issues, appearing on the cover in 2015, 2018, and 2023. She became the first paraplegic to appear on their cover. In 2018, she won VH1’s Supermodel of the Year, and also became the first paraplegic woman to be on the cover of the Victoria’s Secret catalog. Stewart has appeared in advertisements for the Paralympics, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, Under Armour, several hospitals, CoverGirl, and several others. In all of her appearances (except Paralympics and hospitals), her wheelchair is never shown. She is either shown sitting down, having only her upper body showing , or propped up against an object. Stewart retired from modeling in 2028. Films and television Stewart appeared as Sylvia Irving in the 2024 movie A Wall Between Us. She plays the role of a wife, who becomes paraplegic after the husband crashes the car into a wall. The husband struggles to come to terms with his own responsibility, and the couple become distant. In the first ten minutes, she is shown walking. This was done by remote-controlled flesh colored braces, which were controlled by the director. This gave her legs a much bigger look. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for her work. Stewart appeared on The Ellen Show in 2022, to talk about her experiences as a paraplegic model. In 2028, the year she retired from modeling, she became an anchor for ESPN’s Sports Center, along with cohost Lindzay Czarniak. She has remained on the cast for a consistent 22 years, and plans to retire at the age of 60. Personal life Stewart married director Damian Reynolds in June 2027, after meeting on the set of A Wall Between Us. They have a son, Caleb and twin daughters, Jennifer and Joyce.